Darkness, Dragons, DOOM!
by Blue Whiplash
Summary: Yay! I'm updating! Okay, not much actually happens in Chapter Four, just a mutual agreement between--wait. Why am I telling you? You need to go and read it! Nyah! Okay, not enough room to tell what the fics about. Just read!
1. Dark Tides

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Johnny, or Invader Zim, but Gally is all mine. Mine, I say! *Hisss!* She's normally silver, but it's dark and she doesn't want to be seen. If Nny acts out of character, forgive me. This in my first fic with him. Not my first fic ever, certainly. I have lots on my website.www.geocities.com/gaeldrisan/ryu_no_yami. I started it in July. All the icons, I made those on Paint! But anyways. Don't sue me, Gally or Nny might try to kill you. I don't own the things that obviously belong to Jhonen Vasquez, and if you think I do, you need therapy more than I do. And I do. Please review!  
  
  
  
Johnny sighed and poked at a wad of kelp with his toe. Everything was so.peaceful. He didn't really mind it, but it was quite a change. The waves pounding on the beach reminded him too much of the kicks and thrashes that people made when he stuffed dead things down their throats. He squatted down and examined a jellyfish that had washed up. Those were funny things, jellyfish-he would have to make sure to bring some home for his-guests.  
  
The sun sank below the distant waves, and the beach was plunged into the marine darkness he so strongly disliked. You couldn't see stars if they were obscured by fog, you know.  
  
Down the street his asshole gland sensed a medium-sized group of assholes coming toward him. He dug himself quietly into a small beach bush.  
  
The imps of idiocy passed by him, not noticing the silent watcher they had. A bit down the beach they began to head closer to the waves breaking on the shore, and slowly congealed around something. Nny crept down to see what it was, until he could hear them.  
  
"Aww, c'mon, don't be so cold, baby."  
  
A calm female voice replied, "Aww. Don't be so human, meathead. Go away."  
  
The guy drew himself up straight, and answered her in a steely voice. "Don't mess with me, girlie. You won't like what you get."  
  
Nny could see the girl now, standing in the center of the group. She stood barefoot in the knee-high waves, and her long white braid glowed faintly in the light of the covered moon. She walked slowly up to the leader of the herd, coyly flicking a wisp of hair out of her face. He grinned expectantly and made to grab her. What happened next was hard to see, it came so quick.  
  
The girl shoved the guy away with both hands, and he seemed to fly up the beach under the force. Another crony rushed at her with a long knife, and- Nny blinked several times. Light exploded out of her hands, striking him in the chest, and throwing the resulting pile of gore into his friend's faces. The rest scattered, disappearing into the night like wraiths. Nny saw her approaching the first offender, who seemed to be busy lying ten feet up the beach and groaning in pain. Gently she knelt down beside him, and leaned close to his face.  
  
"I think," she said, no trace of humor in her face, "That you had better not cross me again." Then she lifted him up by the collar and threw him into the ocean. He landed about twenty feet out, past the breakers, and was quickly swept into the night.  
  
The girl walked up the beach, stopping about ten feet from Nny's hiding place. She sat down on the still warm sand and toweled off her feet, then pulled on a pair of exquisite leather boots. Calmly she tied them up, and then glanced in Nny's direction. "You have been seen, you know." He gulped in surprise and slowly stood up. Usually they didn't notice him.  
  
The girl stood up and brushed the sand off her seat. "You saw that, didn't you." It was a statement, not a question. Nny felt it was best not to lie to this.person.  
  
The girl extended her hand to Johnny. "My name is Gaeldrisan. You can call me Gally. And you are alive because you, for once, did not react as anyone else would have; i.e., run away screaming."  
  
Hesitantly he accepted the handshake. "I'm Johnny C, but you can call me Nny."  
  
She looked him up and down appraisingly, giving him a chance to do the same. She was shorter than he, by at least a couple of inches. The dark, deep blue trench was soaked to mid-thigh, and her tunic/shirt was maroon and said 'chaos' in Japanese. Around her neck was a black bell on a hemp choker.  
  
He raised his eyes to hers again, and found them looking back at him, bemused. She turned in a slow circle. "Should I model for you?" she asked jokingly.  
  
Nny coughed and shoved his hands into his pockets, blushing profusely. "Um, no, that's-that's alright."  
  
Gally walked past him and snagged his elbow. "C'mon, you can walk me to my truck. I get the feeling you're not going to do much other than think tonight, so I should explain some things to you and ease the tormenting curiosity." Johnny realized with a start she spoke the truth, and followed her to through the dunes to the parking lot.  
  
A bit of an awkward silence followed, until Nny spoke up, sounding a bit hesitant. "So, ah, how exactly did you make those guys, uhm.blow up?"  
  
Gally stopped walking and surveyed him critically. Suddenly she pulled him roughly into the dunes, out of site from the walkway. Nny yanked his arm away from her. "What the hell are you doing?!"  
  
Gally shushed him and pulled of her coat, tossing it to him. She kicked off her boots and knelt on the ground. Nny glared at this crazy, wishing desperately that he could move his feet and rid the planet of her.  
  
Suddenly he found he really couldn't move at all.  
  
Gaeldrisan began to grow. Her dark clothes became darkened silver scales. ((A/N: Think of a dark metal gun, highly polished.)) her face and head elongated, fangs sprouted from her mouth, and gleaming horns grew from her head. There was a sickening crunch as her knees reversed direction, although it didn't seem to affect Nny's nerves much. ((I wonder why..)) Bony black hands erupted from her shoulder blades, immediately becoming wings.  
  
In the end, a thirty-foot dragon stood staring at Nny, pale violet eyes regarding him in mild amusement. He managed to gasp out a shout of amazement.  
  
"Ooo.that was neato. D'you think you could show me how to do that?"  
  
Gally's head rose in surprise, and a flicker of smoke trailed out of her nostrils.  
  
"You're the first person I've met that hasn't responded in a way that ended their lives," she rumbled approvingly.  
  
Nny shrugged and threw her coat over his shoulder. "Demons come out of my walls and Styrofoam doughboys tell me to kill myself. I've met Satan and ridiculed God. Not much surprises me."  
  
A sinewy black tail draped itself over his shoulder. "You poor thing," she said sadly. "What does life hold for you, if it's not the surprises of the days to come?"  
  
"Well, I-" he was interrupted her sudden snort of alarm. "There's people coming this way. We need to go." She lowered her head to the ground. Nny stared at her in confusion. "What, pray tell, are you doing?"  
  
"Waiting for you to climb on," she growled. "And don't forget my coat."  
  
"Oh." Carefully Nny straddled the long neck, settling comfortably between jagged neck ridges. Two powerful wings swept down, raising a cloud of sand and litter. Nny covered his mouth and shut his eyes tight against the sudden lurch as the world jumped away from them. He remained like this until Gally's flight became more regular, and when he opened his eyes again, he nearly forgot to hold on, it was so.pretty.  
  
A sleepy little fishing village sprawled beneath then, accentuated by the boats that floated lazily in the passive waters of the bay. Quickly, it flashed beneath them as Gally turned north, flying along the coast.  
  
After a few minutes, Nny spoke up again. "What about your truck?"  
  
"I don't have a truck. I fly."  
  
Nny digested this information and asked another question.  
  
"Then, why did you want me to walk you to your truck?"  
  
"Because you are one of the best example of human life on this planet. I heard a good bit of advice today regarding that matter: when you find someone worthy of companionship, don't let then go. They are far rarer than gold, and a million times more precious than diamonds. Oh, and I'm just assuming you live this way?"  
  
"More or less. Hey, just how exactly can you manage to change like this?"  
  
"Well, some humans are born with fatal diseases. Some are born, and live only long enough to perform miracles, and then they become saints. Some are even born with the abilities to travel out of their bodies, and to commune with the dead."  
  
Nny nodded. "So, is that what you are? A miracle human?"  
  
"No, I just crashed here. I'm from Dazol. We have abilities pinto beans could only dream of!"  
  
Nny started. "You've read Happy Noodle Boy?"  
  
The serpentine head craned around to beam at Johnny. "It's one of the only things that makes sense on this planet!"  
  
Nny stared at the back of her head in wonder and confusion. //O.kay.//  
  
They flew on for about another half an hour, when Gally suddenly announced, "We're almost home."  
  
Nny looked up ahead. Up ahead was a city, spread out in neat city blocks. Gally adjusted her course for the very edges of the spread of lights.  
  
"Zim will be worried about me," she said conversationally. "He's helped me establish a life on this planet, since I crashed. I told him I was going to be back yesterday." She rumbled happily underneath Nny. He just hoped it was a laugh.  
  
"He'll probably try to kill me now," she said lightheartedly.  
  
Nny felt an urge to protect his new acquaintance. "Want me to take care of him?" A knife appeared from the folds of his coat.  
  
Gally smirked and told him to put it away. "One, Zim isn't really any sort of threat to me. B, he would NEVER think of hurting me; we're friends. Three, he's not human either, and puts up a much better fight than you'd think."  
  
Nny replaced his machete, feeling out of sorts.  
  
Ten minutes later, Gally spiraled onto the roof of an odd looking house, landing rather jarringly on the steep slope.  
  
Two seconds later, she and Johnny walked in the front door, only to be assaulted by a flurry of gray and blue.  
  
"Master, she's hooome!" cried the.thing.as it embraced Gally's legs.  
  
Nny stared at the thing and wondered if it bled.  
  
An explosion rocked the lower levels of the house. Gally stood and wiped the smile off her face. "Okay," she murmured to Nny. "Act like you're sorry, and be humble. He'll blow himself out in a minute."  
  
Something rocketed out of the toilet and landed squarely in the middle of the room.  
  
"Gaeldrisan, prepare yourself for some DOOM!"  
  
  
  
Ooo, spooky. Of course, if we know Zim, he'll probably end up getting his Irkan keester kicked-but who will do the booting? Both of us have righteous boots, Nny and I.. Don't fear the review button thingy, it won't attack. I think. 


	2. Wings in the Night

Hola! Thanx be to the people who have reviewed so far! This is supposed to have humor, at least a bit, but I haven't gotten to the part where Zim comes in for more than a moment. Expect a bit of OOC, for although I've read all the JtHM comix and several Squee! Comics, I still haven't gotten to where I feel comfortable writing from his point of view, or sorta his POV. Leave me alone. I have a human disguise to maintain. And A WORLD TO CONQUER! BWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!! Uh.ignore that. *waves a hand mysteriously* You will forget what you have heard.  
  
"Gaeldrisan, prepare yourself for some DOOM!"  
  
Gally hung her head in mock submission. "Doom, Zim? You wouldn't really doom me, would you?" She smiled coyly and posed innocently. Zim's face twisted, trying to resist the irresistible waves of charm that practically oozed off his roommate. Finally, he groaned and looked away, shaking his head disgustedly at her. "Fine, I will spare you today, Dalzorian. Just don't do that again!" He seemed to notice Nny for the first time. Zim eyed him distastefully, and pulled Gally's sleeve. He led her a few feet away to ask her a question. "Who, or what, did you bring into our home?"  
  
Gally smiled and stood up laughing. "I found him on the beach, actually. This is Johnny C. Be nice; he kills things." Nny smiled happily at Zim and waved energetically. Zim cocked a non-existent eyebrow, and backed up a step.  
  
Gally smiled. "I don't know where he lives, so he's gonna sleep on the downstairs futon, okay?" Both Nny and Zim stared at her.  
  
"I'm doing what?"  
  
"He's doing what?  
  
"He's sleeping on the downstairs futon," Gally said slowly. "Want me to repeat it again? I know for a fact that Nny would only go home and kill something from lack of a Brain Freezy, and Zim just wants to watch movies, so that's no problem, right boys?" she finished brightly. Nny squinted at her in mild confusion. "How did you know-"  
  
She waggled a finger at him. "Remember-pinto beans."  
  
"Oh."  
  
There was a bit of an awkward silence. Finally, Zim said that he really needed to go do.stuff.and that no one should follow him.  
  
Gally stared after him. As soon as he disappeared into the toilet, though, she burst out laughing. "See," she gasped, "I told you he was a funny character. Hehe.." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Now I need something to drink." She disappeared through a doorway.  
  
Nny hesitantly followed her into a kitchen of sorts. "And why does this.Zim.reside in a toilet?" he asked pleasantly.  
  
Gally answered him from deep in the freezer. "Oh, that's just the main entrance to his lab. He is a maker of great doominess, ya know." A slight whirring sound was heard, and a moment later she backed out of the freezer with two tall Brain Freezies. Grinning, she handed one to a very pleased Nny. He peered into the dark depths of the freezer. "You have your own Freezy machine?" he said in wonder.  
  
Gally smirked and leaned against the counter. "Well, that very rude man at the 24/7 wasn't going to need it anymore.I walked in and found him leaning against the wall behind the counter with a hole in his head. There was a few bucks in change on his chest and the Fiz-Whiz freezer was open."  
  
Nny didn't say anything. Just sipped his Freezy. After a moment's thought, he stopped drinking and looked at his hostess.  
  
"So you stole it?"  
  
Shock registered on Gally's face. "Oh, I would never steal! Where I come from, a dead person has no more claims to anything they had in life! It's first-come-first-serve, whether it be family, highway robbers, or.passing assassin." She grinned smugly.  
  
"Ah." For some strange reason, Nny felt himself drawn to this bizarre character. Perhaps it was the urge to rid the planet of the unworthies, perhaps it was the effects of the pleasing Freezy on his twisted mind. I guess we'll never know.  
  
"So," he ventured, somewhat shyly. "Tell me about your planet-what was it called?"  
  
"Dalzor." All signs of previous bloodthirsty actions vanished from her face, leaving a wistful innocence that made him want to smile. "It was so beautiful-a Utopia. Needless to say, we had no use for the polluting transports that the humans use. We flew. The air was cleaner there, because the planet was unspoiled by any pollution. There was hardly any crime, because anyone that knew of a wrong doer quickly had them put to justice. We didn't go around killing everything in sight though, because the average Dalzorian was hundreds of times wiser and more intelligent than the average human."  
  
"That wouldn't be too hard," muttered Johnny.  
  
Gally smiled at him. "In truth, there isn't really much hope for this planet. I've seen it happen before, and it will happen again. This planet is too dirty, to damaged, to withstand anymore attacks from the humans. It will never survive the technological adolescence this species is going through. Some planets do, though, and go on to become far more advanced than it looked possible. Next to the Irkans, we reigned supreme."  
  
"Irkans?"  
  
"Zim's race. The Irkan Empire has thousands of planets in their grasp. Right now, that I know of, there is a complete tie between the Irkan Armada and the Dalzorian Force. It's a friendly competition, which is why Zim took me in so readily."  
  
Nny sucked contentedly at his slightly melted Freezy. "How did you crash, anyway? Did the ship survive?"  
  
The dragon girl blushed. "I, uh.I fell asleep at the cockpit as we were passing by the Earth. I got caught in the gravitational pull, and woke up when we started to go through the atmosphere. It was quite a wake up. I crashed about twenty miles from here, actually. Zim thought it might have been another Irkans, so he brought out his Voot and towed me home."  
  
"What's a Voot?"  
  
"It's the Irkan standard Invader ship. I'll see about getting Zim to let you take a peek tomorrow."  
  
"You kept saying 'we,' though. Is there another one of you?" Nny asked, rifling through a magazine he found on the counter.  
  
There was a soft clink as Gally set her Freezy down. Nny glanced over at her, and found that she was hunched over the sink, clenched knuckles white against the porcelain. She was trembling hard.  
  
Nny slowly approached her, a bit unsure of what to do. He hesitantly reached over to lay a hand on her shoulder, but she roughly batted him away.  
  
"I'm fine," she grated out between clenched teeth. "This is something I need to come to terms with." Carefully Gally stood up, calming noticeably.  
  
"I'm sorry if I've intruded," said Johnny.  
  
"No, it's not you. I wasn't alone in the ship; my sister Phoenix was with me. I-I haven't seen her since the crash. She could have gone for help and died of her wounds, for all I know. And it was my fault." She took a deep ragged breath and brightened. "But enough of the past. Let me get you set up for the night. Even if you don't sleep, it's my duty as the hostess to make you at least comfortable."  
  
Briskly she turned and stepped into the toilet.  
  
Nny stared.  
  
"Well," she asked brightly, "Aren't you coming?"  
  
"Down a toilet?" he asked skeptically.  
  
"I told you, it's an elevator.thing. C'mon, there's plenty of room for two."  
  
Nny stepped gingerly into the toilet. Fortunately, there was plenty of room, seeing as how both Gally and himself were nothing more than 100-pound toothpicks.  
  
Neither the dragon nor the maniac spoke on the way down to Gally's section of the lab. When they stepped out of the elevator, Nny was struck with an impression of how much he'd like to live here. It was, essentially, a labyrinth of caves, accentuated by torches along the walls. He passed his hand over one, and was pleasantly surprised to find that they burned with a chilling fire. Gally picked it out of the brass sconce and led him down a tunnel. A haunting tune wafted through the cavern.  
  
Gally picked up on his thoughts. "It's a CD I found in a store. 'Immortal Kiss of the Vampire.' I don't really like the talking part, but the music is divine."  
  
Nny nodded in agreement, although Gally couldn't see. "Yes. Classical is my favorite."  
  
"I know."  
  
They came to a door in one of the smaller tunnels. Gally pushed it open and gestured for Nny to come in. There was a black futon, covered in red sheets. More cold-fire candles burned in a candelabrum in the cherry wood dresser. She pulled open a drawer, revealing various articles of clothing, strangely enough in Nny's size.  
  
Noticing his puzzled expression, Gally shut the drawer and stood up to explain. "My Guardian, Keladian, went out and got you some stuff. Guardians are granted to Dalzorians with advanced mental powers. They develop a psychic link to their partners. That's how he knew what to get."  
  
Nny stared skeptically at her. She laughed and pointed to the corner above his head. "Just look."  
  
He turned around, and one hand instantly went to the machete hidden in his pocket. ((A/N: Big pocket, no?))  
  
Talons digging into the stone wall, tail lashing angrily back and forth, was a small creature about the size of the metals thing that had hugged Gally's knees earlier. It was a bluish-green color, similar to the hues of the sea he had so recently left. It spread it's wings, hissed, and launched itself at Nny.  
  
Swiftly he swept the machete up, narrowly missing the little creature's head.  
  
Suddenly the blade stopped moving. Nny came out of his killing rage and looked at his weapon. A delicate, pale hand gripped the blade, causing a trickle of a violet-blue blood to well up. Nny looked down at Gaeldrisan, a look of pain on her face. Slowly he pulled the blade away, careful not to further injure her.  
  
"Never. Ever. Attack Keladian." Gally's once-optimistic voice was heavy with pain and barely concealed rage. "He knew you had a weapon, and was protecting me. It's in his genetics to do so."  
  
The little dragon landed on her shoulder and coiled his tail protectively around her neck. With that, she about-faced and left the room, leaving a trail of blood on the floor.  
  
Nny stared numbly at the soiled machete for near fifteen minutes. Finally he felt the need to blink, and the moment of guilt was over. He cleaned it off and sat down on the bed, ready not for sleep, but for a night of deep thought.  
  
  
  
Well, that was.interesting to write. Now I have to go back and read it a few more times, cuz I don't think I actually wrote it, cuz I got shoved into a mind closet. I think Kith wrote this chapter. If it sucks, blame her. If it's good, blame me, cuz I whisper plot ideas through the keyholes. Danke! Please review the wonderful story. Okay. That's it now. Bye. *to the side* are they gone yet? *flies away* 


	3. Spaghetti and a Promise

Um.I forgot the disclaimer for the last chapter.I should hope you people are intelligent enough to understand that I own Gally and Kith. Kith is not in this fic, but I own her anyway. New rule: five reviews for the next chapter!  
  
A small click started Nny out of his trance. He hadn't slept, but had drifted into a sleep-like coma of the soul. He sat up on the futon and blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust his eyes to the dark. The candles had burnt out, so he lit them with a match from his pocket. *You don't have to smoke to have matches after all. Matches are fun.*  
  
When the tapers were burning steadily in the candelabra, he stood up and quietly opened the door. The tunnels were all fairly dark, lit every fifty feet or so with more cold-fire torches. Nny turned down the tunnel facing the one he had entered through.  
  
He wandered aimlessly for a few minutes, until he saw a small cave at the end of a branching tunnel. *Or at least I think it's a cave,* he thought. *There's a light in it, anyway.*  
  
Soundlessly he crept to the entrance of the room. There seemed to be a large pile of pillows, and scattered over it were hundreds of bits of gold. Rings, coins, teeth even. Here and there was a macaroni necklace, or a shiny collector's card.  
  
Something twitched and caught his eye. It seemed to be a long, supple tail.  
  
*Probably that.Gally person,* he thought.  
  
She was stretched out, fully in her dragon form. Her dark wings were folded lazily over her spine, and she slept with deep, even breaths.  
  
For some reason, Nny couldn't look away from the dozing dragon. There was a certain appeal in just watching it-her, sleep. She wasn't one of the human idiots he despised so much, but for all he knew, she could be the dumbest creature on her planet.  
  
He shook his head and pushed the thoughts away. No thoughts now. He didn't want to think about killing her.  
  
He sighed in contentment.  
  
Suddenly the reptilian head snapped up, fully alert. Slit, cat-like eyes scanned the room, searching for the intruder.  
  
Nny's breath caught in his throat. *Damn! She sleeps even lighter than I do!* he thought numbly.  
  
Gally inhaled, a deep, questioning breath. She relaxed noticeably.  
  
"Nny." It was an invitation, not a guess.  
  
He stepped into the dimly lit room and set down the torch. The dragon regarded him with half lidded eyes.  
  
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked conversationally.  
  
"I, uh.yeah. I almost never sleep, so it's no big deal."  
  
Gally smoothed off a pillow with a hind leg. "Come read with me," she said, gesturing to a large tome open in front of her.  
  
"What is it?" He knelt down on the pillow, careful not to actually touch her.  
  
"A book of poems. I think you'll like them. An author from Dalzor, and his view on planets such as this."  
  
They read in a companionable silence for a while, enjoying the poems and each other's company. Nny felt himself begin to fall asleep. He jerked himself awake.  
  
"Something wrong?" Gally asked, a hint of concern in her voice.  
  
Nny rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I've made it a habit to not sleep. I detest sleep. I find it frightening to wake up and be uncertain-unsure of everything you remember about life not being just part of a dream."  
  
Gally shrugged. "I share that view of yours. Fortunately for me, though, my body requires much less sleep than yours seems to. A few hours every couple of days. Plus, my dreams. They're not even remotely like anything I've ever seen. I'm quite sure I'm not still dreaming when I wake up; no living existence could be that.pleasant."  
  
"I envy you. I really do."  
  
"Why?" She regarded him with her unblinking violet eyes.  
  
Nny blinked. "Hmm? My dreams are just memories of the.people I've.killed. They're rarely pleasant."  
  
"I think I know how to help you." Gally's lips curled into a toothy grin. "Go to sleep. You'll be a lot better when you wake up, I promise."  
  
"No, that's okay; I don't sleep."  
  
Gally slowly began to thrum, a deep, bone-shaking sound that swam through Nny's slight frame. He felt his eyelids grow heavy, however he resisted it. As he slipped into unconsciousness, the thrum became a sweet, gentle melody, so beautiful he thought he would drown in it if he couldn't wake up. The last thing he saw before dozing off was a lavender eye watching over him.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------ The sun tried in vain to push through the veil of clouds one last time before it set, but to no avail. The overcast sky darkened forebodingly as the fiery orb dropped below the horizon.  
  
Nny felt none of his usual discontent with the clouds this night. Why be angry at the clouds, when he could simply fly above them?  
  
Ruby red wings swept down, lifting him into the cool, sweet night. A light mist whispered past his gleaming scales, tickled him gently when he moved.  
  
With a surge of speed he broke through the barrier of the cloud blanket. The brightness of the full moon and a billion stars dazzled his senses momentarily. He wanted to join those stars, to go over them. His wings pumped swiftly, bringing him closer and closer to his goal. Suddenly he was awash in a wave of heat, and light, and a searing feeling he had never felt before, and he realized he had gone over the stars.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------- A quiet humming woke Nny from his sleep. He sat up slowly, blinking the sand from his eyes. The humming was coming from Keladian, but Gally wasn't in the room.  
  
Nny stood up and left the small cavern.  
  
He found the toilet elevator easily enough, and was soon jettisoned out into the kitchen. Zim and Gir sat at the table, and Gally stood at the stove.  
  
"Good morning," she said pleasantly. "How'd you sleep?"  
  
Nny stared at her. "What did you do?"  
  
She stirred at something in a frying pan. "Do?"  
  
"To my head. There weren't even any wall demons!"  
  
She grinned. "So, I'll take it you slept well?"  
  
Nny clutched at his head. "It has been so long since I had a good night's sleep, I don't think I know anymore. But, yes, I am well rested and pleased with the lack of blood in my dreams."  
  
Gally waved a spatula at the table. "Have a seat. Breakfast is nearly done."  
  
For once, Nny felt what he assumed to be mild hunger. "What is it?"  
  
"Spaghetti sauce."  
  
His eyes bugged slightly. "For breakfast? Neato!"  
  
Gally brought a steaming pan of sauce over to the table and pulled up a chair. "I found the recipe when I went to visit someone. It's very good."  
  
((A/N: It is such good sauce! It has mushrooms and celery and other good stuff.*drool*.))  
  
She spooned liberal portions into each waiting bowl. Gir immediately proceeded to upend the entire bowl into his open mouth. Zim actually seemed to enjoy the dish, believe it or not. He enjoyed the second and third bowls he had also.  
  
Nny poked at his food. "So, what exactly did you do last night? I mean, to make me have decent dreams?"  
  
Gally leaned her elbows on the table and let Zim field the question.  
  
"See, the ancient Irkan word for 'dream' is 'dahl'zo.' When one race discovered the other-we're not sure who came first, understand-the Irkans realized that being around the new species produced wonderful dreams to all around them. A side effect of whatever causes their other abilities, I suppose."  
  
"Similarly," Gally chimed in, "the word 'Irkan' was derived from the Dalzorian word for 'ambition.' We discovered, named, and grew up with each other. All the competition between our two races is nothing more than sibling rivalry."  
  
Breakfast finished without incident, although Gir made quite a mess trying to feed spaghetti sauce to his moose.  
  
As he helped Gally wash and dry the dishes, Nny thought of something.  
  
"Hey, weren't you going to show me the ships today?"  
  
Gally paused thoughtfully. "I did say I was going to, didn't I? We'll have to ask Zim if we can see his Voot though. He's kind of secretive about the whole thing."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"Oh.there's this one boy who's out to get Zim onto an autopsy table."  
  
"Oh. I see."  
  
When the last of the dishes were put away, Nny followed Gally to Zim's lab. They found him welding a large lever onto a bizarre looking machine. Gally knocked lightly on the top of it.  
  
Zim's head poked out. "What is it, Gaeldrisan? Can't you see I'm very busy!"  
  
"Nny wants to see your Voot."  
  
"My Voot? Why?" His eyes narrowed. "Who sent you?"  
  
"He just wants to see the ship, Zim," Gally sighed in exasperation. She glared pointedly at the little Irkan. "Be nice.."  
  
"Fine. You may see my Voot. But do not touch it, or bad things will befall you!" He leapt on top of the large machine and struck a pose. "TERRIBLE, awful things!"  
  
"That's nice, Zim." Gally led Nny up a flight of stairs, then turned to a wall and opened a door to another flight. They emerged in a dark attic of sorts.  
  
"Ready?" Gally's voice was low and spooky.  
  
"Yeah.."  
  
The light flicked on, revealing a bright, shiny Voot, devoid of even a speck of dust. Nny's eyes widened in appreciation, and he circled it, happy to just admire the alien technology.  
  
From a far corner of the attic, he heard Gally's voice. "This," it said, "Was my ship."  
  
Nny went over to her and followed where her finger was pointing. Crumpled in a heap was a depressing pile of parts, here and there splashed with a bright coat of blue or black paint.  
  
"I've been meaning to fix it," Gally explained. "I just haven't gotten around to it. All the parts are there.."  
  
Nny didn't know what possessed him to say what came next.  
  
"I'll help you fix it."  
  
"Really?" Gally stared at him with wide eyes. "You would? Thank you so much!" She hugged Nny swiftly, pinning his arms to his sides. He resisted the urge to shake her off, wishing to instead enjoy the feeling the hug brought. He smiled. 


	4. Mutual Agreement

Dang...writing this disclaimer ruined my plan. See, without it, there's 777 words in this chapter. No reason, I guess, just the way it happened. Eh. Okay, I'm in a weird mood lately. Very weird. Last night I dreamt that Red was being nice to Gir, as in hugging him in a paternal way. Now, you and I both know that's just not right.  
  
Whatever.what I mean to say, is, my chapters are reflecting my attitude. Live with it.  
  
  
  
Long after Nny retired to his chamber that night, he could hear Gally clanking around in the attic, sorting out the piles of twisted scrap. Finally, around three or four in the morning, he saw her winged shadow pad silently through the hallway. He slid his new Die-ary into the drawer of his desk and took off his headphones. The shadow stopped in front of his room. He tensed a bit; having a fifteen-foot dragon walking around would take some getting used to.  
  
Gally stuck her head into Johnny's room. The little blue dragonet was curled sleepily around her sinewy neck. "Not very sleepy?"  
  
He sighed and stretched. "Not really. I've gotten into the habit of not sleeping, although I enjoyed my little nap last night."  
  
Gaeldrisan shuffled her wings, causing the candles that lit Nny's room to flicker. The effect made Gally's angular head look demonic and dark. "Wanna go for a fly?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Go flying. Go for a flight. Come on. There's a three-quarter moon tonight. A waning gibbous."  
  
Nny cocked his head quizzically. "No offence or anything, but I nearly fell of three times last time I went flying. I'm quite fine."  
  
"C'mon," Gally smirked cajolingly. " I could remedy that."  
  
Nny leaned one elbow on the desk. "And what exactly does that mean? Are you going to make a saddle or something? I said I'm fine."  
  
Gally snorted in exasperation. "Just follow me, you narrow-minded bean head. It'll be fun."  
  
Nny jumped out of his chair, seething. "I am NOT narrow-minded! Only the fools who refuse to see their own trails of FILTH can be placed into that classification!! Just because I won't follow you gives you absolutely no right to make false accusations about me!! You don't know me!! You just dragged me here and pretended to be my friends, you and that little alien idiot!!"  
  
Gally regarded him unblinkingly, revealing no emotions, never taking her eyes off Johnny's heaving frame. Keladian leaned forward on his Mistress's shoulder and hissed angrily. He began to feel cold inside, and looked away from the fierce, soulless depth of her eyes.  
  
"You're not reacting like most other people do," he mumbled after a minute. "Most people start.screaming, or crying."  
  
"Do they? Are you not also making false conclusions about me now, by classifying me with the 'other people?' Are you aware that you made at least one false accusation in your' little rant? That you claimed Zim to be a little green idiot, when in his own scary way, he has more intelligence and charisma than you yourself do? How often do you succumb to the habits you preach against?"  
  
Johnny said nothing, only worked at keeping his breathing even. Silence stretched between them for many minutes.  
  
"Most people." Gally mused to herself, "Most people would take whatever gift a dragon offered them, so entranced by their own foolish visions of medieval dragonlore. Most people.." She trailed off.  
  
"I'm not most people either," Johnny mumbled after a moment.  
  
"So it's agreed." A second later, Gally was standing before Nny in her human body, clad in a sleek black dress. She held out her hand. "We don't classify anymore. Ourselves, our victims, each other."  
  
Nny stared at her hand. A nasty gash ran from below her ring finger into her sleeve.  
  
"What happened to your.uh.you hand?" he questioned feebly.  
  
"You," she stated simply. "So, is it a deal?" Her Guardian coiled his tail around her neck and preened his tail.  
  
Johnny hesitantly reached forward and took the girls hand, careful not to touch the wound. Gally squeezed his proffered fist, locking his hand in a firm grasp. Nny felt his hand begin to lose blood flow, her strength was so great.  
  
Her piercing eyes sought out his. Nny felt vulnerable, naked against the onslaught of violet. He nodded.  
  
"Because one day," Gally began, serious and quiet, "One day it will mean life to not underestimate someone. Because they, to, can be multi-faceted, showing one thing, doing another. It's best to keep your mind open to find these people. They never want to help you, for sure. It's that important."  
  
Nny nodded solemnly. She didn't respond as most people did to his rage; maybe it was their response that triggered some sort of primal, sadistic glee, making him do things he wouldn't normally consider.  
  
"So." Gally shifted back into her dragon form and headed out the door. "You coming?"  
  
  
  
Okay, sorry about the weird endings I've put on my fics lately. I want to write shorter chapters so I can post more often, but sometimes I get carried away. Read and review, please! Thank ya much! 


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